Ice-cubing device



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April 4, 1944. H. H. LAMAR ICE-CUBING DEVICE Filed Sept. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE-'CUBING DEVICE Harry H. Lamar, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 2'1, 1941, Serial No. 412,659

11 Claims. (01. 62-112) The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved ice-cubing device, which is simple and sturdy in construction, easy to operate, and has a high production capacity.

The improved ice-cubing device is characterized by a horizontal crossed-tube grid on which the cake of ice to be cubed is placed, and a plurality of horizontal guide rails beneath the grid on which the cake is slid sidewise to release the cubes after the cake has melted down through the grid and come to rest upon the rails.

While the foregoing statements are indicative in a general way of the nature of the invention, other more specific objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the improved device and its manner of operation.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is presented herein by way of exempliflcation, but it will of course be appreciated that the invention is capable of being embodied in various other structurally modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved ice-cubing device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1, with portions shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the device, taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section through the device, taken at right angles to Fig. 3, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

As will be observed in the drawings, the icecubing devices consists of a horizontal crossedtube grid iii of rectangular shape which is positioned across the otherwise open top of a cabinet ll. The cabinet II is preferably, though not necessarily, of insulated construction and is provided near its bottom with a door [2 through which the ice cubes can be removed.

The grid It consists of a large number of equally spaced parallel tubes [3 which extend from a header pipe [4 at one side of the grid to a header pipe [5 at the other side, and a large number of equally spaced parallel tubes 16 which are arranged at right angles to the tubes 13 in engagement with the latter and extend from a header pipe I! at one side of the grid to a header pipe I8 at the other side. The pipes l4, l5, l1 and I8 are rigidly joined together, in the form of a rectangle, with the pipe IT in communlcation with the pipe M. The pipe I4 is provided with a short extension l9 which forms the inlet for the circulating system, while the pipe I5 is provided with a corresponding extension 20 which forms the outlet.

The inlet I9 is adapted to be connected, b a rubber hose (not shown) or other suitable means, to a hot water faucet, while the outlet 20 is adapted to be similarly connected to a drain. The device will operate effectively with water ranging anywhere from to F. The water, after entering at the inlet 19, passes through the pipes 14 and I1, then through the small crossed tubes l3 and I5, and then through the pipes l5 and I8, leaving at the outlet 23.

The pipes l4, l5, l1 and 18 are mounted in a rectangular frame 2! which is positioned in the upper end of the cabinet II. The frame 2! is provided with vertically extending side portions 22 which fit against the sides of the cabinet, outwardly extending flanges 23 which rest upon the upper edges of the sides, and inwardly extending flanges 24 which overlie the pipes I4, [5, l1. and [8. The frame 2| is also provided, below the flanges 24, with additional vertically extending side portions 25 which terminate about cube height below the grid Ill in inwardly extending flanges 26. The pipes l4, l5, l1 and I8 are rigidly supported against the under surfaces of the flanges 24 by brackets 21 which are secured to the upper surfaces of the flanges 26.

Two horizontal guide rails 28 are positioned beneath the grid Ill near the sides of the latter. The rails 28 are located directly under two of the tubes [3 of the grid, preferably in slightly spaced relation to the same, and are secured at their ends to portions of the frame 2|. The rails 28 are characterized by vertically extending flanges 29 and narrow laterally extending flanges 30 at the lower edges of the vertically extending flanges. The vertically extending flanges 29 are of substantially the same thickness as the diameter of the tubes l3 at the upper edges of the same and serve by engagement with the sides of the slits 3| in the bottom 32 of the cake 33 (see Fig. 4) to guide the cake straight downwardly as the cake melts at the slits and descends by gravity. This engagement of the vertical flanges 29 within the slits 3| in the bottom of the cake prevents the cake from tilting toward one side or the other during its downward movement, thereby maintaining the bottom 32 of the cake parallel to the grid ID at all times. This engagement makes unnecessary any special circuit arrangement for the flow of the heating medium through the tubes of the grid, such as the reverse flow in alternate tubes considered necessary in certain other forms of ice cubing equipment to effect uniform melting throughout the entire area of one face of the cake of ice. The laterally extending flanges 30 act as stops and serve by engagement with the bottom 32 of the cake at the sides of the slits to bring the cake to rest when the slits 3i have been cut to the requisite depth. The flanges 30 taper downwardly toward their edges, preferably in a generally semi-oval curve, whereby to facilitate release of the cubes from the flanges 30. The flanges 30, in addition to acting as stops, constitute guides along which the cake, after reaching said flanges, is adapted to be slid horizon tally a distance corresponding to the space between any two of the tubes. This horizontal movement, which can take place just as rapidly as the tubes it can melt horizontally 'throughth'e cake at the upper edges of the slits, completes the formation and release of a group of cubes 34, corresponding in number to the number of the openings in the grid, allowing such cubes to drop down into the bottom of the cabinet H, either for temporary storage or immediate removal, as desired.

While the ice shapes produced are referred to herein as cubes, that designation is intended to cover polygonal, round, oval and other forms as Well as ordinary rectangular ones. The term ice is intended to include frozen liquids generally. In producingshapes other than rectangular ones the grid would of course be modified to provide openings therein f the same cross section as the cubes. While the grid is preferably of crossed-tube construction it may of course be made in other ways, and also heated in other ways, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. .An ice cubing device comprising a grid containing a large'number of openings having the shape of the cubes to be formed, which grid is adapted to have a cake of ice placed against the same, means for heating the'grid, and means beyond the grid in spaced relation to the same foray-resting movement of the cake after the grid has penetrated part way through the latter,

the portions of the .grid surrounding each opening therein acting simultaneously to produce all of the side faces of the cube being formed within such opening, said arresting meanspermitting the cake to be thereaftermoved inthe direction of the plane of the grid to disconnect the cubes "frem therest of the'cake.

2. An ice cubing device comprising .a horizonmeans permitting the cake to be thereafter moved horizontally to disconnect the cubesxfrom the rest of the cake.

3. An ice cubingdevice comprisingahorizontal grid containing -a-large number of openings having th shape-of the cubes to be formed,

which grid is constructed to support the :full weight of a cake of ice and is adapted to have .-.a cake of'ice'placed ontop of the samegmeanslior heatingthe-grid, and a plurality. of. rails f zinverted 'F-shaped cross section positioned beneath the grid for arresting movement of the cake after the grid has penetrated part way through the latter and for supporting and guiding the cake horizontally after its downward movement has been arrested.

4. An ice cubing device comprising a horizontal grid containing a large number of openings having the shape of the cubes to be formed, which grid is adapted to have a cake of ice placed on the same, means for heating the grid, and a plurality of rails of inverted T-shaped cross section positioned beneath the grid for arresting movement of the cake after the grid has penetrated part way through the latter and guidingthe cake horizontally after its downward movementhas been arrested, the side flanges of said rails being inclined downwardly toward their edges.

5. An ice cubing device comprising a horizontal grid containing a large number of openings having the shape of the cubes to be formed, which grid is adapted to have a cake of ice placed on the same, means for heating the grid, anda plurality of rails of inverted T-shaped cross section positioned beneath the grid for arresting movement of the cake after the grid has penetrated part way through the latter and guiding the cake horizontally after its downward movement has been arrested, the side flanges of said rails being of semi-oval cross section, whereby to facilitate release of the cubes from such flanges.

6. An ice cubing device comprising a horizontal grid containing a large number of openings having the shape of the cubes to be formed, which grid is adapted to have a cake of ice placed on the same, means for heating the grid, and a plurality of rails of inverted T-shaped .cross section positioned beneath the grid for arresting movement of the cake after the grid has penetrated part way through the latter and guiding the cake horizontally after its downward movement has been arrested, the side flanges of said rails being of semi-oval cross section, whereby to facilitate release of the cubes from such flanges, and the vertical flanges of the rails extending downwardly from points closely adjacent the grid in non-conducting relation to the same.

7. An ice cubing device comprising a horizontal crossed-tube grid containing a large number of rectangular openings, which grid is adapted to have a cake of ice placed on the same, means for passing a thawing medium through the tubes of the grid, and means below the grid in spaced parallel relation to the same for arresting movement of thecake after the grid has penetrated part way :through the latter, said arresting means also serving ,to guide the cake horizontally after its downward movement has been arrested.

8. An ice cubing device comprising a horizon- :tal .grid'containing a large number ofopenings having the shape of the cubes to be formed, whichv grid is adapted :to. have a cake ofice placed .on the same, means forheating the grid, and a plurality of-rails of inverted T-shaped cross sectionpositioned beneath the grid :for; preventing the ,cake ;of ice fronrtilting-toward-onedside or theother as it melts down throughthegrid-and arrestingmovement of the cake after .thegrid has-penetrated part way through'the latter.

'9. An ice cubing device comprising a ho rizontal-grid containing alarge number. of..openings havingv the shape-,ofthe cubes to. be formed, which grid is-adapted to havea cake of iceplaced on the same, means for heating the grid, and a plurality of rails of inverted T-shaped cross section positioned beneath the grid for arresting movement of the cake after the grid has penetrated part way through the latter and guiding the cake horizontally after its downward movement has been arrested, said rails being sepa-- rated from each other by three or more of the openings in the grid, whereby to permit the cubes to drop freely from between the rails.

10. In a device for cutting up a solid mass of a, frozen liquid into a large number of relatively small pieces of predetermined shape, a grid containing a plurality of openings having the shape of the pieces to be formed, which grid is constructed to support the full weight of said mass and is adapted to have said mass placed on top of the same, means for heating the grid, whereby to cause said mass to melt down under its own weight through the grid, and means directly beneath the grid for guiding said mass downwardly through the grid, whereby to prevent it from listing appreciably toward one side or the other in its descent.

11. In a device for cutting up a solid mass of a frozen liquid into a large number of relatively small pieces of predetermined shape, a grid containing a plurality of openings having the shape of the pieces to be formed, which grid is constructed to support the full weight of said mass and is adapted to have said mass placed on top of the same, means for heating the grid, whereby to cause said mass to melt down under its own weight through the grid, and means for guiding said mass downwardly through th grid, whereby to prevent it from listing appreciably toward one side or the other in its descent, said guiding means being located beneath the grid and consisting of one or more vertically extending webs of substantially the same thickness as the overlying portions of the grid for sliding coaction with the sides of the melted-out slots in the mass.

HARRY H. LAMAR. 

